A connector in which terminals are double-locked is proposed in Patent Literature 1.
As such, a connector shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2A and 2B has been known. As shown in FIG. 1, a connector 100 includes a connector housing 120 and a retainer 130. The connector housing 120 includes terminal reception chambers 121 receiving a plurality of terminals 110 and a retainer insertion hole 122 opening into the terminal reception chambers 121. The retainer 130 is inserted in a direction orthogonal to the terminal reception chambers 121 inside the retainer insertion hole 122. Each of the terminals 110 includes an opposite terminal connection part 111 connected to an opposite terminal (not shown), an electric wire connection part 112 connected to an electric wire (not shown), and a connection part 113 connecting the opposite terminal connection part 111 and the electric wire connection part 112 together. Each of the terminal reception chambers 121 has a flexible locking lance 123 formed integrally with and protrusively from its lower wall. The flexible locking lance 123 is locked to a locking claw 111a of the terminal 110 to prevent the movement (backward falling-out) of the terminal 110 in a direction opposite to a direction at insertion. In addition, the retainer 130 is locked to a rear wall 111b of the opposite terminal connection part 111 to prevent the movement (backward falling-out) of the terminal 110 in the direction opposite to the direction at the insertion.
Here, a procedure for assembling the terminal of the connector 100 will be described. First, the retainer 130 is set in a terminal insertion allowable position (position in FIGS. 2A and 2B). In the terminal insertion allowable position, a terminal locking protrusion 131 of the retainer 130 is arranged outside the terminal reception chamber 121. Next, the terminal 110 is inserted in the terminal reception chamber 121. When the terminal 110 is inserted in its terminal fit position, the flexible locking lance 123 is locked to the rear wall 111b of the opposite terminal connection part 111 of the terminal 110 as shown in FIG. 1. Then, the retainer 130 is moved from the terminal insertion allowable position to the terminal fit position. In the terminal fit position of the retainer 130, the bottom face of the retainer 130 becomes substantially flush with that of the connector housing 120. The terminal 110 is double-locked by the flexible locking lance 123 and the retainer 130.
In addition, when the terminal 110 is inserted only in the semi-fit position of the connector housing 120 (position shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B), the movement of the retainer 130 from the terminal insertion allowable position to the terminal fit position is not allowed and thus the terminal insertion allowable position is maintained. That is, in this case, the bottom face of the retainer 130 protrudes from the connector housing 120 to an outside.
For confirmation as to whether the terminal 110 is in its semi-fit state, the presence or absence of the protrusion of the retainer 130 is detected after the assembly of the connector 100.